It took a couple minutes to ring up at the register because the cashier didn't know what to ring it up as. (Kiwano could not be found in the produce code lookup program.) The bagger suggested "horny melon" which resulted in a round of giggles. The produce manager identified it as a Horned Melon. After a few unsuccessful tries of looking up "Horned Melon" in the Melon, Fruits, Squash, and Specialty sections of the produce code lookup program, the cashier found it in the Exotic Foods listing. By the way, the PLU code for a Horned Melon or Kiwano is 4302. It turned out to be $4 each.
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First, I did some reading on this strange fruit. Apparently, the fruit originated from southern and central Africa and were only grown in Australia and New Zealand in the early 1900's. Recently, this fruit (whose proper name is the "African Horned Melon") has been marketed around the world and some horned melon farms have started production in California. The name "Kiwano" is trademarked by New Zealanders John Kenneth Morris and Sharyn Ernesta Morris (according to the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office).
It seems that horned melons are often purchased for their novelty and distinctive look. According to a few websites, like this interesting review, they are bitter in taste. These sites generally recommend the fruit be used for decorative purposes (especially since they last for a couple months without noticeable degradation).
Tina disliked the look of the horned melon immediately because it reminded her of a particularly gross caterpillar variety she encountered as a young child.
I cut my horned melons in two different directions to show the cross-sections from two different views. The first was cut from pole to pole. You can see that the seeds are interspersed among green juice vesicles.
Sliced across the equator, you can see the vesicles are connected to three main positions on the mesocarp. It seems that at each of the three positions two closely set short stalks spread out to all the vesicles, so maybe it's actually six connection points. In any case, I think it's pretty.
I then cut off a slice to taste.The texture of the flesh of the horned melon is best described as jelly like. It did not have the citrus texture (watery and refreshing) that I expected when I saw the vesicles. Instead, it was gooey and gelatinous (but not to the point of gumminess).
It tasted to me like a strong cucumber laced with lemon juice. I did not taste any bitterness. However, I didn't particularly like the flavor, and, in combination with the texture, I don't think I'd try this fruit again.
I did some more research online about this fruit and found a couple recommendations to serve this in a salad or as a garnish with roast meats (see Melissa's World Variety Produce). A really cool recommendation from Melissa's is to use the scooped out shell as a service for ice cream. Unfortunately, I didn't like the taste and Tina didn't like how they looked, so we did not pursue these uses. I'll leave it to my readers to comment on how they use horned melons and what their experiences have been.Related Articles
This fruit sort of reminds me of a guava -- although they look and taste very different from each other (from your description). But for some reason, the guava comes to mind.
Paz
I've been reading for a while and LOVE your site. Your visual diagrams of ingredients are fabulous.
I saw an article highlighting your website in ReadyMade (the very cool house/home magazine for ideas on the cheap). They gave you a very nice review. Congratulations!
Robyn
It would be great to fix this up, if it's not too difficult... :)
Cucumber Mint Juice at TRU
and
Cucumber, Celery & Mint at Charlie Trotter's
Both were delicious, and I don't really care for cucumbers :-)
Early this summer, I stumbled across a strange type of fruit at my local Asian market here in Atlanta. It wasn't labeled with a name, but had red skin and white, creamy looking flesh with lots of small black seeds. The flesh had the texture of a soft cantelope and the seeds were about the size of poppy seeds. I think this was even more expensive than the horned melons. It had a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Pleasant, but not extrordinary. Anybody know what it's called?
Seriously though, Kiwano comes from the Cucumber family (not melon family). Originally from New Zealand, now it is widely grown in countries with mild climate. Cut in halves, you will see it contains full of soft seeds and orang/yellow flesh, a bit like the inside of a cucumber. It has a sharp, sweetish taste. Scoop out the seeds and flesh, add ice cubes and sugar to make a nice refreshing drink. Save some seeds and grow them yourself like you do cucumber plants. Quite easy, really. Bye!
Does this fruit have a use outside of decoration and ice cream bowls? ;3
It is true that the african horned melon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family (sometimes called gourd family), but this family also contains melons and cucumbers. In fact, african horned melons, honeydews, and cucumbers all belong to the same genus: Cucumis. (African horned melons are Cucumis metuliferus, honeydews and other melons are Cucumis melo, and Cucumbers are Cucumis sativus)
I was just thinking that with a bit of honey or sugar added, it might actually taste pretty good in a smoothie (as was previously suggested) -- especially since the colors work so well for Halloween (slime green and almost pumpkin orange). However, I feel its cost is a bit high for more than the occassional novelty or special occassion.
This fruit?
*Morningstar, life's too short, you have to try everything (I mean food!) at least once!
Matt, that fruit, about the size of a small pineapple, with red skin, white flesh and black poppy seeds inside is commonly called DRAGON FRUIT. It's a climbing cactus plant from the Cacti family, growing up to 20 foot high with long, thin aerial roots hugging around a host tree for support and big, white Lily like flowers. Coming from the tropical, it's now widely grown in southern California and anywhere with hot or warm climate. Farmers train them onto big wooden posts and keep pruning them to keep the plants down to about 8 foot high for easy picking. A new Dragon Fruit from Israel has red skin, red fresh and black seeds. Bye.
Thanks Mike for featuring an African fruit, albeit a tad inedible. Pity the durn Kiwis have purloined it and are selling it as their own. :-)
Thanks for the great website/blog.
I did pretty much what you did, and found it to be like gelid grass. Not worth the effort, and certainly not worth the cost.
TK
Less unpleasant than wheat grass juice, but still more than it was worth.
Now, if the poster who said they improve as they age, maybe I'll give one another try.
TK
Glad to know that I don't have to try it again!
Has anyone come across any recipes using these things? I have not despite a pretty exhaustive search.
This brings me to the question: Why are people even bothering to breed/cultivate/export these things? There are a number of new things available at local markets that fall into the same category - weird, unusual but basically not really something I would want to serve guests. Chayote squash comes to mind, for one.
I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try it. I suppose I'll slice it open eventually, it's here at work, and see if I can coax someone else into eating it. It was such an antagonistic looking fruit and, like others, I was lulled in by the 'cool and refreshing' sticker. Apparently it lied. Ah well. Maybe I'll find something cool experimentally one of these days.
Oh, and like you, I paid 4 bucks. Talk about sticker shock!
thanks
we grow lots of horned melons here in portugal. they are a great source of vitamin C and we love them with a little brown sugar. they have a taste inbetween a kiwi and a banana. seeds are a problem however.
PS: I only paid $1.65 CDN for it so I think I got a great deal!!! :)
Our company, Artistic Farms (a.k.a. Inca Gold Brand) is probably the single largest grower/producer of Kiwano/"horned fruit" on the planet. We maintain lands and offices in Washington state and Chile, South America. We have patented the term "Cuke-asaurus" for the Amazonian strain of this fruit (in South America it is most commonly referred as "the fruit of paradise"). We sell our fruit in bulk and "gift boxes" (comprising (3) choice specimens).
There are two primary strains of "horned fruit":
1.)The African(a.k.a. "Kiwano", which is the Maori New Zealand name for the fruit). This is grown extensively in New Zealand and to a lesser degree in southern CA. I also understand it is grown in even smaller quantities in such disparate localities as Mexico, the Mediterranean and Africa.
2.)The Amazonian(a.k.a. "fruit of paradise", and also "Cuke-asaurus" , which is a name we patented). This is grown extensively in South America and in Lynden, Washington(on our organic farm).
The primary differences between the two strains are:
1.)The Amazonian has a longer much longer shelf life(provided it is stored at room temperature and in a dry environment, if possible).
2.)The "horns"(spikes) on the Amazonian is sharper to the touch.
3.)The Amazonian is a little sweeter in taste(we still suggest adding some honey, sugar or other "sweetener" to it when eating it straight and we also offer recipes for it).
4.)The color of the skin tends to be more "uniform" on the Amazonian version.
If anyone is still curious or interested in our fruit, I can be reached at:
Ig8802@aol.com
Or by phone at: (360) 398-9351. Thanks!
-Kevin S. L. Burke
Artistic Farms
Lynden, WA 98264
hehe... :shock: 8| :huh: :unsure: :angry: :shock: ;) :D :) :( :lol: :P B)
thats all I have to say:)
thanx :D
And entering a secret code to post! That is so cool.
i was also intruiged by the before mentioned Cherimoya so i looked that up to. we get them alot over here in the supermarkets but we call them "custard apples" which is a fairly good description of the taste-its like a mango, banana, apple and a kiwi fruit mixed with custard. however a nice ripe one is quite hard to get
On a different note I received a couple dozen passion fruit that I ordered about 6-8 weeks ago from a farm in California. I tried them when I traveled to Taiwan this winter past and fell in love with their perfumy scent and interesting crunch (from the seeds in the pulpy fruit. Mixed with a little honey and yogurt they are delicious. When they are quite they are good plain too, though on the tart/sour side sometimes. They are expensive in the grocery. In TX you normally see them at $2.50-$3.00 each. The fruit I have bought twice from White Dove farms (who also sells cherimoya) is ~$29 for about 25 pieces. Try them out.
Cheers
about a year ago, i saw these in the grocery store. the stickers on them said "kukosaurus" and because of the name i purchased a few. my friends and i cut the tops off and gutted them as we didnt like what reminds me of watered down kiwi. we then made some mixed drinks in them. the reaction from everyone that saw them was fantastic, and worth the 4$ price tag.
I am glad to learn that this is African because someone led me to believe that it was a Chinese bitter mellon (for which there are recipes and the original reason I bought it ---never having seen one) or Chinese summer or winter melon. Obviously they were wrong.
I think that $8.00 is a bit too pricey for this item particularly since it grows in the US and even imported that is still too much. Why is it that business people think that they can charge exhorbitant prices for exotic fruit----it would seem to me that they would want to create a market for it by offering a reasonable price.
Rhodadendrun
It looks a bit like a chinese apple, as the previous post suggested, could you possibly mean the Durian?
Durian smells though, it is officially illegal to transport Durian in Singapore's subway and buses, but will make a great compôte or chutney, as well as parfait and jam. Many Chinese and Malaysian stores sell it in a dried form as candy sticks.
To get it in the US and Europe whilst being fresh it's quite expensive, reckon around $18 or €15 per kilo.
Well...I had some money and came across this fruit and thought I would try this fruit.So I took it home and cut it open.I had my dad try it and he said the same thing you said he would not have this fruit aging.but me on the other hand as he tasted it I smelt it, it smelt like grass.it had to be one of the best fruit I have ever had ;)
i received my kiwano as a gift. my fiance knows i'm always into trying new foods, especially interesting fruits. i'm glad I looked this one up before cutting it open, though!
when cut in half vertically, you can squeeze the seeds out easily, leaving the rind inside the fruit perfectly. i was a little eager to try it, so I just mixed some brown sugar in it and ate it like that. it was gelatinous, yes, but I quite enjoyed it. :)
I hadn't tasted one, but I did see them at my local grocery store. So I went in today to buy one and they weren't there! So, I asked my grocer about them and how they tasted - to which he responded, "oh, they're not for eating. It's placed on teh table as an ornament and for fragrance". I looked it up and this is more or less correct, but the fruit is sometimes used in cooking. The fruit is a citrus fruit and supposedly has a lemony flavor with a bitter rind. The zest is more often used than the flesh, but the flesh is sometimes used in salads. Other uses for the fruit are probably more creative.
Flavorwise it tasted like slimy, sour, cucumber seeds. If I was planning a romantic dinner I could find a use for it (like a serving bowl for some custard desert).
1. You get any fruit ice cream (something that has fruits e.g. pineapple, strawberry etc.)
2. Scoop the jelly like substance out of the melon and put into a glass.
3. Add ice cream of choice and then put a hit of vaniella milk or banana milk.
Mix it and enjoy...
Or scoop it out and just add sugar... :D
I buy these once a year, because this is the only time they are available to me.
You go to the grocery store, and you see a fruit that looks wacky and different from the fruits that you know and like. And you're shocked that it isn't like those fruits?
Open your mind, and your mouth. I bought one from the store, and cut it in half. First few bites were wierd, sure... but you get used to it. They're sweet, and have an interesting flavor.
Hmmm... the ones I tried definitely did not have any sweetness. Perhaps they weren't ripe. Anyone know if they ripen after being picked or only on the vine?
Went online for advice and found this site.
Not sure how brave I am about tasting.
So far, the info I've uncovered doesn't tell me when it reaches maximum ripeness, but apparently you'll want to store them at room temperature (65-75F) and NOT in the refrigerator. At room temperature it should be able to keep for three months while it'll only last a couple weeks at the low temperatures of a refrigerator. I wasn't able to find out if the sugar content increases as you wait or if it decreases...
If the fruits have been out for 30-40 days, then they are considered mature and can be picked. They should begin to change color by this point and will continue to brighten and turn more orange over teh next month or so in storage. If they are still green when picked, then the colors will never fully develop unless you expose them to ethylene for a day or so. You can try putting the kiwanos in a paper bag with a couple apples to expose them to ethylene.
It tasted like a bland, slimy, cucumber with none of the refreshing zing or crispness of that vegetable. If it is better when it is more ripe or with sugar I don't know but it tasted so repulsive I doubt I'd by it again to find out. I guess anything would taste okay with the proper recipe.
Kiwis are sweet and tangy and bananas are rich and creamy but this fruit had neither of those qualities.
Only ate a third of it and then scooped the seeds out to plant later. Perhaps I can turn them into alcohol, otherwise they are only good for selling on to other mugs like me who was seduced by the skin.
Like a couple other posters, I thought it tasted like a mix between a banana and a kiwi. The banana-like taste was just slightly sweet, like an underripe banana, not at all like a ripe banana. The kiwi-like taste was not really tart or sour at all, just a hint of kiwi. It was delicious!
My wife insisted that it tasted only like kiwi (no banana), but without any tartness.
We both agreed that there was no bitterness whatsoever, and that it was worth the $4.
http://teagans.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/dragon-fruit-3.jpg
If so, it's called a red dragon fruit ;) :)
Its a good fruit to try once. If it tasted better, I might try it out as an ice cream bowl.
Thanks for the information from the blog and all the former posters.
Paid $5 in here in Chicago. Didn't know what is was. looked it up. I'm currently straining it and I think I'll add some sugar and just drink the juice. The seeds make me confused. Can you eat them? they seem harmless enough, but I don't want to risk it.
If it were later in the day, I might try to fashion a martini out of the juice just for fun, but alas its only noon.
At the grocery, there was no price or name listed on mine either. Guess they figure most people wouldnt spend $5 on mystery fruit. =)
Yesterday my dog run in and stole one still green kiwano off the bush and ate it all...
So I pulled the few biggest to try them. Sure it must have something to it when even the dog likes it?!
I tasted a bit of the unripe thing. I tastes like a cucumber with a drop of lemon on it... and as i thought of it as of a cucumber when i planted it, i was quite happy about the taste.
So today, i'm looking around searching what to do with them - should i use it as an ordinary cucumber for salad or as gherkin and pickle it or prepare it somehow different - and i feel very confused.
I read on at least one occasion to avoid eating them unripe but in most cases the unripe state is not mentioned or where it is, they say to let it ripen the possibility of consumption in that state not considered...
Does somebody _know_ if it is edible unripe / WHY should you not eat them unripe?
I had to google exactly how to eat it and it even said you could eat the peel with salt or sugar and was a good source of fiber & Vitamin A. I'll take their word on that!
I scooped the insides out with the intention of mixing with yogurt at lunch today. I haven't had it yet, but I succeeded in grossing out many people in the office with it - LOL!
Sooo, it was interesting as a one time thing, but I doubt I'll be buying any more - unless to use as a decoration.
There seems to be a wide variety of interpretations of the taste on this website. I did find mine to be cool and refreshing (at room temperature) and the flavor seemed to me like a cross between kiwi fruit and pomegranate, with a hint of cucumber. Also perhaps a suggestion of lime.
I thought it was delicious, easy and quick to eat, and a perfect snack for a warm spring or summer evening after a walk. :)
Does somebody _know_ if it is edible unripe / WHY should you not eat them unripe?
I eat them green as you would a cucumber...